John of Cornwall (theologian) facts for kids

This old drawing shows a funny story about a student who misunderstood a Latin phrase. He thought "Busillis" was a person's name, but it was actually part of "in diebus illis" (meaning "in those days"). John of Cornwall used this story to show how important it was for scholars to understand Latin well.

John of Cornwall, also known by his Latin names Johannes Cornubiensis or Johannes de Sancto Germano, was a Christian scholar and teacher. He lived in Paris around the year 1176.

It's important not to confuse him with other people named John of Cornwall. For example, there was a different John of Cornwall who taught Latin grammar in English, not French, much later in the 1300s. There was also an archdeacon of Worcester named John of Cornwall around 1197, but he was likely a different person too.

About John of Cornwall

We don't know much about John of Cornwall's early life. Because of his names, people believe he came from a place called St Germans in Cornwall, England. He studied with a famous teacher named Peter Lombard in Paris.

John of Cornwall wrote an important book called Eulogium ad Alexandrum Papam III, quod Christus sit aliquis homo. This book, written around 1176, was about the nature of Jesus. John wrote it to disagree with another scholar's ideas about Jesus's human side. He argued that Jesus was fully human, not just wearing a human "costume."

His book, the Eulogium, was later printed in large collections of old writings. This shows how important his work was at the time.

His Writings

Besides the Eulogium, other books are thought to have been written by John of Cornwall:

• Apologia de Christi Incarnatione: This book is also about Jesus becoming human. However, some people aren't sure if John of Cornwall truly wrote it.
• Summa qualiter fiat Sacramentum Altaris per virtutem sanctae crucis et de septem canonibus vel ordinibus Missae: This work explains how the important Christian ceremony of the Eucharist (also called the Mass) works.
• Prophetia Merlini or Merlini prophetia cum expositione: This is a poem about the famous wizard Merlin from the King Arthur legends. John wrote it between 1141 and 1155. There is only one copy of this poem left, and it is kept in the Vatican Library.
• De diuersa consuetudine legendi Sacram Scripturam: This book discusses different ways of reading and understanding the Bible.

See Also

• Busillis in the List of Latin phrases.
• An dhargan a Verdhin / The prophecy of Merlin, translated by Julyan Holmes. This book has the full text of Merlin's prophecy in both English and Cornish.